The Minnesota Vikings were crushed when they ended up one game short of becoming the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.

They still may have walked away with a trophy that week.

Kirk Cousins is only a day or two from officially becoming one of the biggest free agent signings in Vikings history.

Some of the groundwork for the union was laid not by the Vikings themselves during this “legal tampering” period over the previous two days, but by a visit he paid to Minnesota during Super Bowl week. Cousins visited the Mall of America and radio row, made appearances around the Twin Cities and also scouted out his potential new home, sources told The Athletic.

By the time he left town, he was convinced that if the money was right, the Vikings were at the top of his list. By the time this week started, allowing teams to reach out to agents to start courting free agents, Cousins was already firmly focused on getting a deal done with the...